15 January 2010: This solar eclipse is the longest annular solar eclipse that will occur in the 21st century, lasting 11 minutes. In an annular eclipse, the sun and moon are directly in line, but since the moon is smaller, it leaves the blazing outer rim of the sun visible

Millions of people across Asia witnessed the longest total solar eclipse that will happen this century, as swaths of India and China, the entire city of Shanghai and southern Japanese islands were plunged into darkness for about five minutes